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Date Posted: 03:43:16 03/02/03 Sun
Author: Leatrix
Author Host/IP: netcache2-acld.auckland.clix.net.nz / 203.97.2.243
Subject: Etiquette

Hi

Attached is part of a message from Kumi (author at Libidinous Desires) with regard to a comment read here at the site:

"I did want to point out to you that Kitty Montague’s comment (Help! from 2/27/03) was not appreciated. I have written her a short note explaining that my fellow LD writers did not have an issue or felt it was rude I would appreciate if she would refrain from making comments to the fact it was rude of me to shut down the site.

I guess you truly never know who will read your comments."

I would just like to point out to readers that many of the fanfiction authors write the material we read out of the goodness of their hearts. I suspect that Kitty Montague did not intend to offend Kumi or anyone else associated
with Libidinous Desires, but please bear in mind that your comments may be read by others who may not appreciate what is said - especially if is not directly related to a critique of a story.

People such as Kumi have their reasons for closing their sites. Let us respect them and thank them for the time they have taken to share their work with us, even if the site is no longer active.

Thanks

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Replies:

[> Etiquette: Thank you for this IMPORTANT reminder.... -- morgain PLEASE READ!!! IMPORTANT, 11:03:00 03/02/03 Sun (modemcable186.24-203-24.mtl.mc.videotron.ca/24.203.24.186)

This may be a good time to remind every one about the rules for the reviews and the reviewing process.

Curtesy of Emcee, and can be found at:

http://www.katlurkin.com/fanfic/essay.html

BtVS Fanfic Club
EMCEE's Fan Fiction Review Essay

A helpful tool for all. Scratchings from The Chicken Shack! If the answer was yes to any one of these questions or all, as was thi writers' dilemma, the following words might be a way to turn those yays into nays. It may seem like the intent of this piece is to tell people how they should look at fanfic. Be assured that it is not. The goal is to provide people a helpful tool by way of critical questioning in their look at Buffy fanfic.

Whatever way they use this device is up to them. Also these analytical questions which follow are not meant to be stagnant entities. They are to be dynamic and grow with time if people feel that an important question has been missed or their phraseology needs to be improved upon.

The source material used for this essay comes from the tapestry of fine writing from Pointy Stakes, a slash fiction website that is without a doubt more than just slash, under the link, S/X and Violence in their essay section.

Pointy Stakes can be found here,
http://www.jbx.com/~boethius/forged/stakes.html

And the S/X and Violence link leads here,
http://www.jbx.com/~boethius/

What clicking on Essays uncovers,
http://www.jbx.com/~boethius/essays.html

What can be discovered are a series of essays, links and pointers for slash writers to be, specifically for Xander and Spike. One can not only use this collection for its expressed purpose but for others such as this, developing a critical analysis tool for fanfic across all genres in the Buffyverse. These questions were extrapolated from the works that reside there.

1.Is the piece built on recognizable elements within the Buffyverse? Does the premise of the work itself stray too far from the Buffyverse canon?

2.Does the writer have a strong knowledge of his or her characters in the fiction?

3.Is the story original or does it go over well-trodden ground?

4.Is the action in the story realistic or can one buy what the writer is selling? Has the writer explained enough of the back-story leading up to the central action?

5.Has the writer taken efforts to respect the genre that is being written about? For example, are there blatant spelling or grammatical errors?

6.Is there a plot that follows logically? Is the story seamless in its movement forward or is does it clunk along like a wagon with a bad wheel?

7.Is the fanfic confusing due to it's narration?

8.Can the fanfic be recommended?

To augment these critical questions, here are two links that are exceptionally helpful for the evaluator of fanfic. Both deal with critiquing and providing feedback on fanfic. The first is provided at a familiar place, Pointy Stakes, on the S/X and Violence Essay page that can be found here:

http://www.jbx.com/~boethius/critique.html

and the other can be found at the BtVS Writers' Guild website, another great place to find writing tips here:

http://btvswritersguild.dymphna.net/writingreceivingfeedback.html

For some readers, seeing these questions on their screens and on paper will be enough, but for other readers it is important to see the tool in action. There is a story by Mad Poetess called A Long Time available on Pointy Stakes which will be used to test run these questions in the form of a short paragraph. One can view the fanfic here:

http://www.jbx.com/~boethius/forged/longtime.html

A Long Time by Mad Poetess is about a long-term relationship between Spike and Xander, full of ups and downs. There are canonistic elements to the story such as mentioning Amy as a rat and how Spike and Drucilla came to Sunnydale. Both Xander and Spike are represented as the characters I know all throughout the story. The story is ground breaking because it is futuristic in nature. This very original work put the characters I know into new lights. Although I don't feel that this story is realistic, I do feel that through expert story-telling and construction, I was sold on all of the story's action. There was a great love shown to Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a television show due to the well thought out elements of the piece. A Long Time is expertly crafted and takes the reader on a smooth journey due to its unconfusing use of Xander's point of view that drives the work. I would highly recommend this fanfic because, to appropriately use a slang term, it rocks.

To recap, this tool is to help all readers in whatever way they choose and hopefully it provides some direction for all in large or small ways. If this tool seems incomplete to anyone, please feel free to comment. May all have enjoyed their read and future reading of great Buffy fanfic!


from morgain:
This Club is not about trashing fiction or authors or ships; it's about identifing quality. So be sure to balance reviews with statements about a works strengths, 'cause remember, it was recommended by members who like it.


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